Energy-efficient LED fixtures to be installed at Grady Park tennis courts

Getting a second quote on lights for the Grady Park tennis courts proved to be a real money saver for the Village of Saukville last week.

Last fall, the Public Works Committee recommended replacing four pole-mounted lights that illuminate the courts with energy-efficient LED fixtures.

Committee members were so convinced about the energy savings the lights would create and the favorable pricing they got from Miller Electric of Port Washington, they ordered the fixtures knowing installation wouldn’t be done until spring.

The set of lights, which cost $7,400, will also provide lighting for a nearby batting cage.

Despite getting a deal on the lights, Public Works Supt. Ray deBruijn told the committee the initial bid for installation was expected to be $1,500 more than the $14,000 budgeted cost.

In a community that has been watching how every dollar is spent, deBruijn suggested plans to install a picnic table and trash barrel in Veterans Park be eliminated to cover the funding shortage.

That drastic measure proved unnecessary last week, when deBruijn said a bid for installation of the light system by Wester Electric in Belgium came in at $9,245. That amount is $4,600 lower than the first bid.

“I can’t explain it. Usually bids on this kind of work are pretty close,” he said.

With some of the money for the lighting work in the budget, trustees were told the project would require $1,800 from the Park Fund.

Other than the electrical work, the installation of the lights will be done by village crews.

Trustees welcomed the savings from the Wester bid and readily endorsed the light project.

“The sooner we get this project done, the sooner we’ll start saving money on electric bills. We already spent the money on the fixtures,” Trustee Dave Maglio said during committee deliberations.